Hell All Warmed Up
by St.Misery
Summary: Not all things dead tend to stay that way. Kanda soon learns that the hard way when Allen Walker pops up, claiming to have come straight from Hell, and refuses to go away. KandaxAllen
1. If It Sounds Crazy, It Probably Is

**So after many, **_**many **_**weeks of agonizing over this I've finally decided to post it. Here's hoping it's not as bad as I fear it may be. **

**Warning: This is yaoi and KandaxAllen. Because beneath all that anger and yelling there _has _to be something else. Oh and, Kanda swears quite a bit. **

**Disclaimer: D. Gray Man sadly does not belong to me. If it did, it would be very gay and not as awesome as it is right now. **

- x -

**If It Sounds Crazy - It Probably Is  
**

Kanda leisurely twirled his soba around his wooden chopsticks, bringing it to his mouth mindlessly. Saturday mornings were the worst; he was in no rush to go back to doing absolutely nothing in his lonely apartment. He could return Lavi's five consecutive messages begging him to accompany him for lunch, but…he really didn't want to. Plus, he was already eating lunch and he always felt better when nobody was around to watch him chew.

A young waitress made her way over to his booth, her clickity heels noisy against the smooth floor. "Can I get you anything else?" She asked politely, batting her fake eyelashes at Kanda.

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes. How many times had she come by in the past half hour, asking the same damn thing each and every time? If he wanted something, he'd _ask_. "No." He said simply, not bothering to look up from his black tea, which- now that he noticed, was almost empty. "Actually, a cup of tea." He spared her a glance, "Black, no sugar."

She bobbed her head enthusiastically, "Right away, Sir." And disappeared in a flurry of light blond curls.

"How can you drink that stuff?"

Kanda whipped his head around. There, sitting opposite him was another person, head full of shocking white hair and staring pointedly at him. Kanda's eyes narrowed, how he failed to notice someone slip into _his _booth was beyond him.

The boy continued, not noticing the murderous aura seeping out of the dark haired young man. "…To each his own, I suppose."

Kanda ground his teeth together. "Who the _hell _are you?" _No one_ invaded his space without asking. Even then it was a flat _no._

The boy titled his head to one side, bringing to attention the blood red scar marring the left side of his face. He was incredibly suspicious looking. "Allen Walker, but of course you don't know me, Kanda"

Kanda almost doubled over, he knew his freaking _name_. He debated stabbing him with his chopsticks, maybe poking out his horrid gray eyes_. _" I never asked for your stupid name. Who _are _you and what the hell are you doing here?"

Allen was still smiling. "That's not something I'd like to discuss in public, if you don't mind."

_Oh, he minded._ Before Kanda could throw himself over the round table and choke the crap out of him, the waitress returned.

"Here you go." She said cheerfully, placing down the steaming cup of tea. If she noticed the tension in Kanda's body she didn't give it away. Then she turned to the newest occupant of the booth and smiled warmly. "Would you like a menu, sweetie?"

"Well since I'm going to be here for a while-" Allen started but barely got a chance to carry on before Kanda was snarling viciously at him.

"Like _hell _you are! _Get lost._"

Allen frowned and turned to the confused waitress, beaming up at her. "I'll have seven extra large plates of whatever he's eating. Minus the black tea. Sugar and milk in mine, please."

"I'll be right back with your…order." She said, scrunching up her nose at what she once thought was a cute kid, before walking away.

Kanda's dark blue eyes scanned over the abnormally pale, petite frame, wondering how so much food was going to fit in such a small body. It was inhuman to say the least.

"Quit giving me that face." Allen huffed after it seemed Kanda would never stop staring at him. "It's a little creepy."

Kanda growled and snapped his chopsticks clean in half. "_I'm creepy?_" Nothing more managed to come out of his flabbergasted mouth. He was in temporary shock over how stupid the unwanted stranger was.

Allen rolled his eyes. "Yes, just a tad bit." He said as if it were obvious. He pulled out the red ribbon woven around his neck and retied it. "God I'm hungry." Then oddly enough, he cracked a highly amused smile and tried to smother it in his white-gloved hands.

Kanda didn't know what to make of this 'Allen Walker', freak extraordinaire. He refused to tell him who he was but he seemed to know Kanda well enough to ignore the unspoken death threats. "Listen, Walker."

Allen stopped grinning to himself and smiled at him. "Yes, Kanda?"

He repressed the shudder that tingled up his spine. The familiarity was killing him. "I don't know who you are, or what you want, and I don't fucking care either. Just _leave _before I kill you_._"

Allen pouted. "I can't do that."

Kanda very nearly screamed. "Why _not_?"

The younger boy shrugged. "I'm not allowed to." He had an air around him that seemed to say; nothing about this particular meeting was out of the ordinary. It grated on Kanda's already thinning nerves.

"Whoever it is that's ordering you to _stalk me_," Kanda began, lethalness pouring out like acid in every strained word. "Tell them to _fuck the hell off. _And while you're at it, why don't you fuck off too." Kanda thought this would do the trick, if nothing else. No one was impervious to his vicious compulsive swearing.

However, Allen grinned lopsidedly at him, deeply amused. "Now that's a one way ticket to Hell."

"I'm already there, brat." Kanda seethed, quite upset that his 'talk'-for the first time in living history- hadn't worked.

Allen's crooked grin evened out and he was flat out smiling now. "Oh Kanda, you're so silly."

His smile was unnerving, this _little_ boy with his strange face and strange hair seemed not to care that he was ready to make a shish kabob out of his abnormal head.

Just then the curly haired waitress returned, whose timing was superb whenever Kanda had that killing urge. She expertly balanced seven plates of soba and a cup of steaming hot tea in her arms.

"Thank you, it smells delicious." Allen praised, sniffing deeply at each plate lowered before him.

She hoped he'd be paying for all of that. She nodded warily at the food and turned to Kanda, giving him her best lipstick-on-her-teeth smile. "Can I get you some more tea? Soba?"

Kanda's meal lay untouched for the most part. He hardly finished a quarter of it before Allen pulled a Houdini and ruined his appetite. "Just my Check." He said, already nauseous seeing Allen nearly drool over his oversized soba.

Her smile dropped heavily on her pink cheeks. "Right away."

"She likes you, you know." Allen blabbered the minute she left, chopsticking the noodles into his fast working mouth. "I can tell, she was looking at you funny."

"I don't care." Kanda snapped, realizing too late he shouldn't be talking unless it was to swear at Allen.

The pale boy reached for his tea next. He brought it to his lips and took one long swig –which in all reason should have burnt his tongue off- and went back to his meal.

For the umpteenth time that afternoon, Kanda wondered where this strange creature had come from and why he hadn't knocked him out yet. "You're not normal." He mumbled darkly to himself.

Allen's attentive ears picked it up. "I never said I was." He smiled sheepishly as his storm cloud eyes glinted. He was definitely up to something and Kanda wanted no part of it.

In the middle of puzzling over that tone of voice, Kanda's check was dropped in front of him. He pulled out his wallet, placed two bills on the tray and stood up to leave.

Allen blinked curiously at him. "Leaving already? But I just got here."

Kanda glared down at him. "I'd better not see you again, or I _will _kill you."

His long legs quickly carried him out of _Jerry's._ Hungry and pissed off, he hoped that if he were fast enough, Allen wouldn't be able to tell which way he went.

- x -

He nearly reached his apartment, casting well-concealed glances over his shoulder to make sure no white haired freaks were following him home, when he spotted Lavi leaning against his door.

Kanda didn't have the patience to deal with this today, not that he ever did. "What are you doing?" He asked rather rudely while shoving his key into his lock.

"Waiting for you to get home." Lavi said in his least creepy voice. He stepped inside along with the take-out box he was holding before the door could slam shut in his face. "Obviously."

If it were anyone else –certain white haired little _monsters_- he would have slugged them for being so disturbing. However, this was Lavi. Waiting outside his condominium door for hours at a time wasn't unusual. Lavi always claimed he could be doing better things, and Kanda thought that probably wasn't true. Lavi enjoyed bothering him.

"So Yu-chan…" He started, and was given a nasty look for using that taboo name. "Whatever happened to getting lunch? Didn't you get my messages?"

"All five of them." Kanda intoned blandly. He perched himself on a barstool facing the countertop of his shiny kitchen.

The redhead was only too used to Kanda's unorthodox ways of being a friend. He sighed and opened the box, the smell of fresh tempura wafting out. "You have a phone Yu, use it once in a while, won't ya?" He slid over chopsticks. "Well I figured you'd be hungry, since you forget to eat and all, so I brought some lunch for you."

Kanda didn't forget anything. He sometimes had better things to do and it just _slipped _his mind. However, seeing as his soba lay unfinished in the restaurant, he was actually starving.

"Other than ignoring my calls," Lavi began teasingly, picking up a piece of broccoli tempura. "What have you done all day?"

Kanda found it hard to swallow. "Nothing." He lied. No one needed to know he might have himself a stalker he hadn't managed to get rid off. He convinced himself it was all due to the fact they were in a public place and he wouldn't be able to get away with murder without being seen. Lavi especially did not need to know. Lavi, who would laugh and probably choke on his tempura, cough it up and laugh all over again.

The redhead blew his flyaway bangs from his eyes. "You're so boring Yu. I swear if it wasn't for me you'd grow mold, or something."

"Tch. Shut up, _baka_." Kanda glared and bit off a piece of his food angrily.

The younger of the two grinned and they continued to eat in relative silence, with Lavi interjecting about how fabulous his day had been so far. After 15 minutes, Kanda stood up and declared he had to go change, leaving Lavi to do as he wished while he moved to his room.

Inside the privacy of his minimally decorated room, Kanda kicked off his boots and made his way to the antique vanity sitting directly in front of his king sized bed.

The fair face that reflected back at him was visually perfect, of course -not that he cared, or even noticed. Flawless skin and a body to match, but the eyes that stared back were deadly, always deadly. If these really were the window to his soul-what did that mean? Navy eyes narrowed and Kanda leaned closer to the mirror.

"You're awfully vain." A voice that belonged neither to Lavi nor him spoke, nearly spooking the crap out of him. "Aren't you?"

Kanda whirled around, eyes wild and ponytail whipping at the mirror behind him. "_You!_" He spat out, not really knowing whether he should swear or punch first. Or maybe try doing both in unison.

The very same stalker-freak Allen Walker smiled sweetly up at him, sitting cross-legged in the center of his ridiculously large bed. "Actually, it's Allen."

Kanda opened his mouth to speak and shut it again, temper flaring rapidly. This was not happening. This could _not_ be happening. "Did that idiot let you in?" _But even so, how had Kanda not notice him walk in?_

Allen shrugged, "What idiot? The one in your living room eating all your crackers?"

Kanda clenched his fists tightly, ready to spring into action. Unreal couldn't describe what was happening. And pissed off, couldn't cover how he was feeling at the moment. If Lavi had indeed let this brat in-_because he couldn't have gotten in otherwise_-he'd have two faces to beat in.

The white haired boy blinked up at him, watching the murderous cloud accumulate over Kanda's high pony tailed head. "I came in through there. If you really wanted to know." A single pale finger pointed bone straight to Kanda's right.

Slowly the owner of the room turned his dark gaze in the direction of Allen's pointing finger. He stared…he didn't understand. He was looking at his wall length window. That was not _possible._ He lived on the second last floor and his window was _always _locked shut.

Allen once again broke through his concentration. "Kanda? Are you feeling ok?"

Kanda snapped. "Of course. I'm fucking _fine. _You didn't just break into my apartment and climb up twenty-three goddamn floors, _on my building wall._"

Allen frowned, deeply disturbed. "No, why would I do that?"

Kanda wanted to rip out every one of those terrible white strands of hair, shove it in a bag and then maybe whack him over the head with it. "What the hell do you want with me?! Couldn't you take a hint and leave me alone?"

That horrible white haired head titled to the side along with that deathly pale face. "It isn't much of a hint if you specifically told me not to follow you." It looked like Kanda was going to scream so he hurried onwards. "I might have said this already, but I have no choice when it comes to _stalking _you. Which I'm not." He finished quickly when the fist in front of him was closer to his face than it was five minutes ago.

"I'm not going to lie." Kanda said, face impossibly calm for someone in this sort of situation. "I don't know what to do with you."

"Let me stay with as little cursing as possible?" Allen supplied helpfully, still cross-legged, rumpling up the black satin bed sheets.

"As in," Kanda continued, pretending to have not heard what was just said. "I could kill you with my Mugen, or my fists."

Allen sighed and mumbled. "You can try…"

As if he'd just been granted permission he did not need, Kanda pulled back his tightly fisted hand and poor Allen Walker had no warning whatsoever, before that very same fist was smashing painfully into his dainty jaw.

Allen's head whipped back and his whole body was crashing into the firm mattress behind him upon impact. Kanda yanked his arm back and was about to deliver a second punch-maybe to that thick skull- when a hand shot out and gripped his arm firmly.

Allen gradually rose from his fallen position, all the while keeping a strangling left handed grip on the twitching arm inches from his jaw. With his free right hand, he righted his should-be-dislocated jawbones with a nauseating _crack _that Kanda felt snaking into the soles of his feet and into his toes.

No marks, no bleeding, no apparent signs of pain. Allen's face looked for all the world as if he hadn't just received the Kanda Death Punch. "That wasn't very nice, Kanda." Allen frowned at the stiff-backed Kanda.

The man before him stood baffled but hid it well. What was that right now? His normal victims would have been knocked unconscious and out of commission after an attack like that, not chastising him for bad behaviour. Then again, Allen was hardly normal.

Kanda's ignored guest took this moment to pop his unruly red head past the open bedroom door. "Yu-chan, don't tell me you've forgotten all about me! What's taking you?"

Lavi would have said more, but the peculiar sight before him made him stop. Very few things in life made _Lavi _shut up. To his one-eyed perfect vision, his self-proclaimed best friend had his fisted arm held stock straight out in front of him with no one to hit, body unnaturally rigid, even for Kanda. It kind of looked like he was posing in a one man tableau.

Kanda turned his head Lavi's direction, glare in place. How was he supposed to explain the strange boy on his bed? Not that Lavi deserved any explanations, but it looked…_fishy._

Before Kanda could even try, Lavi walked up to him cautiously. "Um…Yu, you training solo again?"

"What?" Kanda asked, the first non-violent word to come out of his mouth all day. Lavi made no sense sometimes, and apparently, neither did he.

"Well, you do what you have to, but why is it always when _I'm _around." Lavi complained light-heartedly and plopped down on the bed in front of Kanda. Allen had to bounce backwards to avoid being sat on. "Sometimes I think you purposely do this just to avoid seeing me."

Kanda figured he might as well make a quick recovery, what with the way Allen was smiling deviously _right _behind the oblivious Lavi. "_Che,_ obviously."

Lavi rolled his one emerald eye, "Either way, I came by to say I should be leaving soon. The old man's making me work the early, _early _shift tomorrow and I still have stuff to finish reading." Even knowing Kanda could hardly care less, he always felt the need to elaborate. "It's a Sunday dammit, the Library's not even _open _at five."

Kanda snorted, five was his normal waking time. "Whatever." Lavi stood up to leave and Kanda decided to test out something before his only clue left the room. "You." He started with the right amount of malice to cover up his burning question. "Something's different in here. What did you do?" He said it all while looking directly at Allen, who now laid spread out across his bed. If his mind could project neon-flashing arrows pointing to the ugliness on his sheets, it would have.

Lavi zeroed in on where Kanda's gaze left him, not really getting the question. He had a reputation of insanity yes, but to touch Kanda's sacred _room? _Oh hell no. "I swear I didn't do anything." He sniffed at the air and it smelt sweeter. "Maybe it's the new fabric softener you're using."

Kanda let out an even bigger snort, his deep-seated semi-fear confirmed, "_Baka._"

Lavi grinned and waved before leaving him for the day, "Night, Yu!"

The minute he left Allen sat up and Kanda let a feral growl rip out his throat, "What the _hell _was that?"

"What was what?" Allen asked, clueless. The devious grin on his face said otherwise.

Kanda lunged forward and grabbed onto his white collared shirt, yanking the light body almost right into his fierce looking face. "Don't play dumb with me, idiot. _Answer me._"

Allen smiled softly, unfazed. "I didn't think it would be appropriate for your guest to see me." His breath fanned out across the face so close to him and Kanda realized it smelt sweet…like the smell Lavi had noticed.

Shaking his head of the disturbing thought, he shook the boy in his arms. "What did you do?"

Allen glared back half-heartedly at Kanda, "Isn't it clear enough? What would it look like if your friend walked in on me sitting on your bed, when I obviously didn't come in through the front door while he was here?"

Kanda didn't pick up on the suggestiveness so palpable in Allen's tone. He was never very good with that sort of thing. "Like you climbed up and into my locked window?" He said it like Allen was the dim-witted one. "Which you _did._"

Allen groaned, "No, Kanda! It would have looked bad…_dirty._" Kanda still wasn't catching on. "Wrong, _not right._"

Kanda was choking him now. "Get to the point, brat."

Oh well, Allen would have to be blunt. "It would look as if I was your mistress. Only male."

The hands around his neck dropped as if his shirt had suddenly caught on fire, "What_ was that?!_" He watched Allen shrug like stupidness didn't just come tumbling out of his sweet smelling mouth. He dislodged his thoughts quickly, moving on to more important matters. "You owe me an explanation. Who _are _you? And don't give me any half assed answers or I'll beat the shit out of you again."

Allen was secretly waiting for a moment he could explain himself without the hotheaded Kanda causing a public scene. "Last you tried, it didn't do you any good."

Kanda leaned his thighs against his vanity; he still couldn't believe his attack had no effect. "I'd like to know what the hell that was too."

A small white finger tapped at Allen's chin. The one that should have been a broken, bloody _mess _"Promise you'll listen and _not _start freaking out until I'm done?"

"Che. As if anything would surprise me now." He waited patiently for his intruder to begin his retarded tale.

"I sincerely hope not." Allen smiled timidly. "As you can tell, I'm not your average, everyday fifteen year old-"

"Tch, I thought you were _ten._"

"Can I finish please?" He glared at Kanda who scoffed and turned his head, "Because I'm not normal." _Duh. _"And I'm not exactly human." _What? _"Or well, I used to be. A long time ago." _What the hell? _"Are you following or just pretending to?"

Kanda blinked at the blabbering contradiction sitting on his bed. He was…not really alive as far as he could make out from his little fairytale. Yet Kanda could see him, and he did not see dead people. However, he defied science with his lack of reaction to pain and the disappearing act he pulled on Lavi. Not to mention he somehow slid into Kanda's booth this afternoon and slid into his _apartment _without Kanda noticing until he spoke. Kanda always noticed things.

Allen was murmuring quietly to himself by the time Kanda started to pay attention again. "-Maybe I should have put it differently…"

"My logic is telling me to kick your scrawny ass out of here and not believe a word." Kanda stated plainly.

"But…" Allen prompted. There was an underlying something that Kanda was having difficultly spitting out. Like a hairball lodged in a cats throat.

"I don't know and it's pissing me off." Kanda rubbed the bridge of his nose. His head started to pound softly.

Allen tried looking as non-threatening as possible. Which wasn't difficult for someone so small and skinny. "I don't want to scare you but…turn around and you'll have all the proof you need."

Kanda was unjustly creeped out only because he was told not to be. He convinced himself he had nothing to be creeped out by, none of this was real, and turned around to his vanity mirror not liking the fact that his back was now facing the _dead _person.

Allen waited silently as Kanda stared into the eyes of his own reflection. Was that brat trying to distract him so he could kill him, or something? There was absolutely nothing special about turning around only to have to look at himself. Nothing. All he saw apart from his face was the wide expanse of his bed and his bare, tawny wall. He grit his teeth, did he ever feel idiotic now.

The sheer silence from behind him continued and suddenly a mortifying thought hit him. He snapped his around to stare at Allen, who still sat behind him, still slightly to his right. Allen smiled crookedly but kept his mouth shut. He was waiting. Kanda flipped his face back around and glared holes into his defective mirror. Where Allen Walker's reflection should have been was only an empty bed slightly creased from use. Try as he may, and as much as he willed it to happen, Allen did not appear beside him in the mirror, crouched on his bed as he was.

And because punching Allen would only insult the sheer force of his fist, his stupid mirror took the beating instead.

- x -

**Since Allen's always the "good guy" I was dying to write him in a situation where he wasn't (even though that too is a little complicated) Everyone has a little evil in them, no? Like Allen's non-poker playing poker face (the demented one). He just has a lot more evil in here :D **

**Allen will continue explaining what exactly he is and what he wants with Kanda next chapter. I didn't want to cram it all into the first part. **

**Feedback is greatly appreciated :) **


	2. A Little Extraordinary

**I apologize a million times over for how late this is D: But in my defence I was on vacation and there was just no time to plot down ideas.**

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed, you have no idea how so _very very _happy you make me! And thank you to everyone else who alerted and favourited this work in progress, I'll try my absolute best to update faster next chapter.**

**Disclaimer: Sometimes I dream about it, but then I wake up and realize that no, I do not own D. Gray Man. **

**- x -**

**A Little Extraordinary**

**- x -**

After Kanda had bloodied his knuckles on his shattered mirror glass, he had whirled around in quite a temper only to be faced with an empty bed and an even emptier room. Without wasting any time, like a panther in hot pursuit, he dashed out of his room and into every other closed door and open space in his apartment. He made especially sure to check his bathtub and cupboards, knowing full well no one could fit into such a cramped space.

He'd looked everywhere that night. There was not one trace of Allen Walker to be seen. If his silent prayers had been answered, he'd never know, but not knowing the whereabouts of the suspicious child was almost as bad as having him visible.

That night, Kanda slept with one eye open and Mugen warming the other side of his bed. Fully aware that neither safety precaution would work against the supernatural, least it decided to attack.

**- x -**

The night sky lightened as Sunday rolled around, and as usual Kanda woke before the morning sun could shine through his dark curtains and disturb his sleep. He barely registered what time he had dozed off, holding Mugen so close to his chest that the rough hilt left angry red marks on his calloused hands. He felt foolish if anything, and got up to get ready for the day.

As Kanda brushed his teeth he stared fixedly at his reflection, in case a certain uninvited guest decided to drop in. Until he remembered Allen didn't have a reflection, and spat out his mint toothpaste most vehemently into his sink.

Allen didn't show up during his daily morning routine of scorching his toast just right either. Or while he prepared a steaming hot cup of spiced tea.

Kanda figured waiting for Allen to pop up wasn't worth the effort his mind was exerting and whenever the little brat decided to show up he'd just kick him and be done with it. This time Kanda was determined to leave a mark. No one in living history had taken up those dusty corners in Kanda's mind the way this freakishly pale boy did. It pissed him off to no end, and in trying to forget, he only continued to be plagued by thoughts of the creepy Allen Walker.

It wasn't until the sun had hidden half way beneath the horizon and the sunset sky burned orange, did any news of the one Kanda had been dreading all day present itself.

Kanda had only started the shower, removing his belt to toss it in the pile where his shirt lay, when there sounded a rather obnoxious clearing of a throat behind him.

His hands clenched on the waistband of his pants and he wished he hadn't thrown his belt on the floor. In case he decided to use it as a weapon of sorts. He didn't need to turn around to know who'd be bold enough to walk in on him but the sudden appearance caused his blood to run cold with shock anyways.

Allen Walker smiled from his comfortable seat atop Kanda's sink. "Should I have come a little later?"

Kanda's eyes blazed, keeping his back to Allen –not his brightest idea-he bent down and turned off the loud spray of the shower. "You shouldn't have come at all."

Allen cocked his head to one side and Kanda finally turned around. "Don't stop on my account. I promise I won't peek." And he raised two fingers in mock salute that only made the vein in Kanda's temple throb painfully.

"I'd rather drop dead." He growled at him. It was wholly disheartening to have someone directly in front of his bathroom mirror but cast no reflection all the same. Kanda found he couldn't look at him for long periods of time.

Allen sighed, "Bite your tongue, you don't mean that."

Kanda stood up straight and walked forward a few steps; he'd make this as quick as possible. "Whatever it is you're here for, spit it out. The faster you talk, the sooner you'll leave."

The small boy's forehead creased in exasperation, "How many times must I say it Kanda? I'm not going anywhere, I _can't _go anywhere."

Kanda raised a perfect black eyebrow. "You weren't here all day. You're capable of staying away. Do it permanently."

"I had some business to take care of. I don't have to go anywhere for a while." Allen said seriously.

Whatever this 'business' might have been, it sounded shady to Kanda, but so did a live in roommate he didn't ask for and most certainly didn't want. "I don't give a damn-"

"Just hear me out first." Allen pleaded, his stormy eyes hollow.

"_Leave._" As much as he wanted, needed some sort of further explanation, Kanda's mind shut down and stubbornness took over, "If you break in again, I'll make sure to _cut you up_."

Allen glared at the wilful man before him, the decades not only made people duller, but irrational too. "You _can't _cut me up. Do you really want to embarrass yourself again?"

Kanda stood silent, jaw locked tightly in rage, for the fraction of the second it took Allen to hop down from the sink soundlessly.

"We need to talk, and you need to listen." Allen continued, striding forward in the small space of the bathroom, the fluorescent lights radiating off his face. "And I know you're not capable of something so simple, but I _will _tie you up if that's what it takes."

The space between them couldn't be more than mere inches apart and Allen had to strain his neck upwards in order to give the stubborn mortal his best convincing glower without breaking eye contact.

The muscles in Kanda's mouth hadn't smiled in a long time, but he might have right then. It was hard to take someone seriously when he stood towering a whole head and half taller over the tiny boy. "Che. _Moyashi._"

The unfamiliar tongue diminished Allen's glare and the area between his eyebrows scrunched up. "What?"

Kanda straightened out his back as much as possible without hearing the cracking of his stiff spine. "_Moyashi. _Beansprout. You're _small._"

Allen puffed out his cheeks, for a moment forgetting he had important affairs to discuss. "Well excuse me for being fifteen and not having the chance to grow up."

If Kanda were anyone else but himself, he might have felt a little guilty. "And whose fault is that?" He said with a condescending twitch of his upper lip.

Allen faltered and those soulless grey eyes clouded over with unreadable emotion. He stammered before he found the right words, "That doesn't concern you." He shook his head full of snow-white hair, "Now if you'll sit down, we have a lot to talk about."

Kanda searched his forever youthful face, trying to find the shadow that passed over once more, but his face had returned to the calm facade it always was. "I'm taking my shower." He said with an air of finality.

Allen narrowed his eyes but sighed anyways, "Fine, I'll wait."

"Outside." Came the clear command, along with Kanda's pointing finger to the door behind them.

Allen shrugged and left, leaving Kanda to finish undressing and take the longest shower he'd taken in quite some time. Hoping that somehow, he could delay the inevitable.

Kanda expected to see the stalking boy waiting faithfully outside his bathroom door, but when he turned the knob to peer outside he was nowhere in sight. Kanda stepped completely out of the warm haze of his bathroom, the cooler temperature not helping his loose, damp hair dry any faster.

Kanda almost called out when a loud clatter of what could only be metal sounded from his kitchen. Scowling, he draped his towel around his shoulders and marched off to see what mess the little demon had created.

He turned the corner in time to see Allen jump down from his disinfected countertop, and disappear behind the long counter in the middle of his kitchen. The boy reappeared later, popping up like a spring and holding a frying pan and two, now cracked mugs in his arms.

He smiled sheepishly at the fury written plainly across Kanda's face. "I was just looking for food. I didn't mean to drop anything. Sorry, really."

Kanda squeezed the ends of his towel in a death grip, "For someone who can sneak into my house without me noticing, you're unreasonably clumsy."

Allen gingerly placed the fallen items on the counter top and jumped up himself, dangling his thin legs over the edge. "I'll get you a new mug. This one looked pretty important." He held up the broken cup with the writing _Number 1 _and a chip of porcelain that read _Son_ so Kanda could clearly see the pieces.

"I don't care about the mug." He really didn't. It happened to be a gift he'd been accidentally wanting to break himself. "What the hell are you doing destroying my kitchen?"

"Just looking for something to eat." Allen put down the pieces and stared wide-eyed, "How are you not malnourished and dying yet? There's nothing edible in your cupboards but soba noodles and bread in your fridge."

Kanda grunted and took a seat on a high bar stool a ways from Allen. He was pissed off but that would have to wait. "Didn't you have something to say?"

Allen fumbled with the fastenings of his grey vest, unsure of how to start. "I'm not really sure how to say it. It's not something I've got any experience with. You tend to overreact...and break things."

"Get on with it." Kanda demanded, digging his nails impatiently into his smooth countertop.

"You're a horrible, horrible person Kanda." Allen began bluntly; figuring that ploughing straight through and cutting no corners was the best way to go about it. Kanda raised a brow but said nothing. "And you're going to Hell unless you straighten up."

Kanda wondered if laughing would be appropriate, and the look of grim death on Allen's face made the situation more comical. "What are you, my shrink?"

"No, but I will be your personal chauffer if you don't stop treating this like it's funny." Allen warned, the lines on his forehead piling years onto his appearance.

Kanda snorted condescendingly, marvelling at the people he had the misfortune of meeting, "Whatever _Moyashi_, you can go home now, to Hell, or wherever it is."

"It's not a joke!" Allen seethed, now visibly annoyed, "Do you not know how to shut up and listen?"

Scornful words hung like a droplet of water to his tongue, until Kanda had the good sense to look down at Allen's hands. The left gloved hand, nearly half the size of his own palm, had buried itself inch deep into his counter top, the beautiful dark marble cracked and crumbling onto the titled floor. His eyes widened a fraction before a hiss broke through his parted lips.

"Is it impossible for you to talk without_ breaking something_?"

Allen, still mad as ever, slowly uncurled his hand. A fistful of marble thumped sharply on the floor and bounced over to Kanda's right foot. "Are you going to listen now?"

"No. I'm going to kick your scrawny ass out before you chew through my furniture." Kanda answered, fisting his hands.

"Oh?" Allen asked, slightly amused, "And how do you plan on doing that?"

Kanda stepped forward, menacing as ever. "I'll pick you up and throw you out my window if I have to." If he actually he got around to doing so, Kanda wouldn't be surprised if the small boy sprouted black wings and flew right back in.

Allen frowned but it lacked any real concern, "That's _cruel_ Kanda."

Kanda made to lunge at the legs dangling off his counter-his _violated _counter-planning on dragging the child out kicking and screaming, when instead his hands groped thin air, before smashing painfully into the edge of the hard marble.

"Besides." Allen called out, safely on the other side of the counter to the great annoyance of Kanda, "You'd have to catch me first."

Kanda's head suddenly felt very heavy, he had barely even blinked once before Allen had swung his legs over and out of harm's way. He wasn't counting on his speed, or that strange display of strength. "_What_ _are you?_"

Allen smiled softly, "A messenger of sorts, I guess. And I'm really sorry. About your counter…I lost my temper, I didn't mean to break it."

Kanda straightened up and flexed his sore knuckles as discreetly as possible, "And what's your 'message'" He scoffed, fighting to shut out the inquisitive part of his nature.

Allen wanted to smack his face into something, "I already _told _you." He sighed, frustrated.

Kanda had to think a minute before that ridiculous conversation came back to him, "Don't be stupid. No one knows what lies beyond death."

This time it was Kanda's face he wanted to smack, "Then how do explain my being here? This is obviously something."

Kanda crumpled up his nose, mimicking the action of having smelt something particularly foul, "You defy logic." He couldn't explain Allen Walker. If he had to try he'd end up using the supernatural excuse Allen used and that didn't make much sense to him either.

"Maybe." His smile was wry on his powder pale cheeks, "But you can't deny what you're seeing. If it helps, I might not have believed me if I were you."

"It doesn't." Kanda paused for a moment, "And what have I done to deserve damnation?"

Allen's grey eyes inspected him closely, "Really Kanda? You can't think of anything?"

The man remained silent, an unmoving rock paralyzed with too many conflicting thoughts battling for dominance in the small space of his head.

"Perhaps something from your past?" Allen insisted, digging deeper.

"I might have burned Lavi's tie-dye bandana a few years ago. Don't give me that look, it was hideous." Kanda felt ridiculous saying it but his mouth contorted angrily, daring Allen to say otherwise.

Allen had every intention of doing so, but held his tongue at the last moment. Kanda obviously didn't want to drag this conversation along any further. If Kanda needed time, then time was what Allen would give him. After all, someone like him, forever unchanging, had all the time in the world.

**- x - **

Outside, the sun had set and night had come, a lone star twinkling brightly in the distance with the new moon hanging overhead.

Kanda did all he could to avoid Allen after those final few words were exchanged, busying himself with making dinner and shooing the insistent boy out of the kitchen. He felt more grateful than he'd ever let on that Allen didn't push the subject. Nevertheless, he was no fool and he knew that couldn't possibly be the last he'd hear of the subject.

On the other side of the kitchen wall, because he dared not go any further, Allen's stomach growled helplessly. The smell of steaming soba noodles and deep fried tempura hovered temptingly under his sensitive nose. The rumbling creature in his belly demanded food, but the chances of getting Kanda to feed him weren't looking too high.

Allen poked his nose through the high archway of the kitchen and sniffed deeply. Kanda had his back turned to him, standing over his stove with a large wooden fork in his hand, dipping it occasionally into the bubbling black pot.

"If that catches fire, you'll burn the place down." Allen warned, gesturing to the fork.

Kanda continued to prod at his softening noodles, "Didn't I tell you to stay out?"

"I am out." Allen said, peeking down at his feet to make sure they hadn't crossed the invisible boundary line.

"If I can hear you," Kanda began, "Then you're not far enough."

Allen pouted childishly and stepped forward into the forbidden kitchen, quiet as his shadow. Kanda had moved on to his tempura, lifting the lid and spearing one on a metal fork this time, when Allen crept up to his elbow.

"Would it be too much trouble to ask for dinner?" Allen asked.

Even though Kanda was constantly on red alert mode for sneak attacks, Allen managed to slip undetected every time. This time, Kanda nearly dropped the lid he was holding and onto his foot.

Teeth grinding irritably, Kanda turned to glare heatedly at Allen, "You need to stop doing that, brat."

Allen smiled brilliantly, "You make it too easy." And side stepped out of the way in case Kanda decided to throw that tempura pierced fork into his eye.

The older man reasoned that answering wouldn't do him any good, and returned to minding his nearly done meal. "You ate at the restaurant." He said after a pause so long, Allen figured he was done speaking.

"What about it?" He asked, still terribly close to Kanda's elbow.

Kanda spared him a glance, "I didn't think the dead got hungry."

Allen felt his cheeks that could no longer blush heat up a little and he gave the other man a shaky smile, "Old habits die hard." Feeling the need to explain more, he went on, "I don't feel the urge to eat like maybe you do, but I feel it all the same. I need sustenance too."

To Kanda's ears, that made no sense at all. "That doesn't make any sense." He voiced out loud, "If you don't need to eat, quit wasting food."

Allen frowned, "It's not as if there's a shortage of food-"

"With the way you eat, there will be." Kanda cut it, turning off his burners.

"You noticed?" He asked, fumbling with his vest buttons again.

Kanda moved past him, a plate full of hot food in his hands. Putting them down on the counter he took his seat and broke his chopsticks in half. "I'd be _blind _if I hadn't."

Allen sat directly opposite him, a good width of distance between them. "I used to eat like that back when…" He quickly righted himself before something else slipped out, "I was younger."

"_Alive._" Kanda corrected and Allen stiffened, "You can't say it, can you?"

Allen reached out and grabbed a pumpkin tempura faster than Kanda's eye could catch the movement, and popped it into his hungry mouth. "I can too say it. But it's a sensitive subject and I'd rather not."

Kanda glared at his pale lips, the ones that had just devoured his dinner, "Try that again and I'll shove my chopsticks down your throat."

Allen grinned at him, "I'll be good." He didn't need to remind Kanda that he couldn't get hurt, but the threat wouldn't feel particularly good going down either. He was still hungry and sorely tempted to steal another tempura but Kanda's hands were clamped so tightly around his chopsticks, Allen didn't want to risk making him angry. So he waited in silence until Kanda had finished and dumped his dishes in the sink.

Kanda moved swiftly past Allen without saying a word and the white haired boy took it as his cue to follow him out and into his bedroom. Then back out again with the older man holding a bunch of clothes, and he would have followed Kanda into the bathroom as well but the door was rudely slammed shut, almost taking his nose with it. Doors couldn't stand in the way of a determined Allen Walker, but if he planned on camping out in Kanda's apartment for a while, he'd have to abide by Kanda's privacy laws.

A few minutes of rustling clothes and the noise of subdued brushing and then spitting sounded from inside the bathroom before Kanda opened the door and moved back into his bedroom.

When Allen walked in Kanda lay cross-legged on his bed, a big ring-bound book resting on his knees. Kanda might have heard Allen pad softly across the carpet but paid no attention to it, too absorbed with keeping his head bent over his book.

Not wanting to disturb Kanda yet, and enjoying the peace of silence, Allen stood on tip-toe to peer out of Kanda's large window. A sort of sombreness swept over him and he had the sudden urge to jump out and feel the crisp autumn air on his skin. Shaking his head Allen gazed distractedly around the room. His grey eyes landed on the cracked vanity mirror in the center of the bedroom.

"You should get that fixed." Allen said, "Broken mirrors are bad luck."

Kanda snorted, eyeing Allen through the black veil of his unbound hair, "Really, _Moyashi_?"

Allen made a face at him, treading over and sitting at the edge of his bed. Kanda looked uncomfortable but didn't protest. "I'm not bad luck, Kanda. In fact, you should be happy I'm here." Allen paused to feel the suicidal aura emanating from the other body, "Not everyone gets a warning."

Kanda made a noise somewhere between a cough and snort and turned back to his book. "Let me guess. I'm _special._" He said, exaggerating the sarcasm in his words.

"You are." Allen snapped, a little annoyed, "You can still be saved."

Kanda pushed the hair out of his eyes and stared long and hard at Allen, "If I '_straighten up'_?" He said mockingly, bringing up the boy's earlier words. "I've tolerated your shit long enough. I'm not going anywhere so you can just shut up about it."

Allen pursed his lips and turned back to the window, whose curtains were now blocking out the outside world. "I know it's a lot to take in, and I'm not asking you to do anything right away. But think about it, instead of tossing it aside like you do with everything."

Kanda remained silent for a moment. He slapped his book shut and placed it on his bedside table. "You're sitting on my sheets, _Moyashi._" He stated, tugging harshly at them.

Allen took the hint and got up, leaving Kanda to pull it over him, turn off his lamp and settle down for the night.

Having nothing else to do, Allen moved back to the large window and pushed the curtains aside. Immediately, a strong line of moonlight shone through the dark room, casting shadows in the dark corners.

Kanda grunted and cracked an eye open, "Shut the damn curtains or get out."

"It's too early to sleep." Allen responded. Kanda's digital clock read _10:15_ in big, red numbers.

"I _work._" Kanda growled, wincing as an especially bright ray of moonlight caught him square in the eye. Normally he wouldn't have called it a night so early, but he felt completely drained all of a sudden, and the need to sleep was greater than ever.

To Allen, that wasn't much of an excuse, but in the pale light he could see the dark circles outlining Kanda's eyes clearly. He wondered if they were always there, the temperamental young man did indeed seem very tired.

He pulled the dark curtains closed and the room plunged into a state of semi darkness once more. Allen waited for Kanda to relax as much as possible with a stranger in his room before plopping down on the windowsill. From here his sharp grey eyes could make out the steady rise and fall of the sheets draped snugly around Kanda's body. There he watched the sleeping spectacle that was Kanda Yu, never once taking his eyes off him.

**- x -**

**So I know that it's still not clear what Allen is, but those things take time, no? As in, next chapter sort of time ;D which won't take over a month to come out, again I apologize.**

**Feedback is greatly appreciated. :3 **


	3. Demons In The Night

**This one seems to have taken less than a month to come out :D. I apologize if it seems a little rushed. **

**Also, thank you **_**very **_**much to my anonymous reviewers whom I am unable to send replies to :D**

**Disclaimer: I don't own D. Gray Man. But one can dream. **

**-x-**

**Demons In The Night**

**-x-**

Kanda roused suddenly sometime during the wee hours of the night. He couldn't place the time of day but something had disturbed his slumber. Cracking sleepy blue eyes open, he noticed a stream of white light spread unevenly over his bed. His mind slowly whirred to life and his vision adjusted to the light invading his room. Kanda realized with growing agitation that the light was pouring through his window from the crescent moon outside.

_Hadn't he told that idiot to keep his curtains shut?_ Kanda moved his arm, the joints creaking in protest and flipped himself over.

"Oh, you're awake." Allen breathed, mere inches from his face where the boy lay kneeling by his bedside.

Kanda nearly bit his tongue bloody to keep from screaming out in fright. It was one thing to wake up to an empty bedroom and another to wake up to a face deathly pale, smiling as if nothing were out of the ordinary. Part of him dearly hoped that Allen would disappear like a horrible nightmare, when morning came and he opened his eyes. Unfortunately, it was still night, and Allen Walker was still there.

The said boy smiled unsurely, "I didn't mean to disturb you. Please, go back to sleep."

Kanda narrowed his eyes dangerously, head on his soft pillow, "_Moyashi._ What the hell?"

Allen blinked, not understanding, "Is something wrong, Kanda?"

Kanda exhaled angrily through his nose, "What are you doing standing so close?"

"Oh." Allen's face lit up in comprehension, "I was watching you sleep." Kanda didn't know what to say to that so Allen continued, "I can't put my finger on it…but you sleep like the innocent."

"The what?" The words tumbled out of his tired mouth before he had the chance to rein them in. He wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep, not start a midnight conversation with the dead.

Allen tapped his skinny index finger on his pink lips, thinking of the best way to explain it, "You tend to fall asleep in one spot and wake up in exactly the same position. You don't move around much. People with no worries tend to sleep like that." Allen peered down at him now, "People who've done no wrong."

Kanda shifted uncomfortably under his sheets, he hated the unfair height advantage Allen had kneeling beside him. He rubbed the right side of his face and drew his body into leaning awkwardly on one arm. Before he could tell Allen he was stupid, a strong beam of moonlight pierced straight through his eyes and he winced painfully.

"_Fuck._ Close the damn curtains brat!" He cursed, covering his face with one hand.

Allen hopped over and dragged them shut, and Kanda, relieved, pulled his hand away to glare at Allen.

Allen merely ignored it and returned to Kanda's side, this time sitting on the edge of the bed, facing the older man. "So Kanda," He began harmlessly enough, "Have you done no wrong?"

Kanda growled, "You don't give up do you?" He just _really _wanted to go back to sleep.

"The sooner you get it off your chest, the better you'll feel."

"There's nothing to say."

"Then why can't you look at me when you say that?"

Kanda glared sharply at the boy, hardly aware that he'd turned his gaze away until it was mentioned, "Because, you're fucking creepy."

Allen brought his legs up on the bed, hugging his knees tightly to his chest. In that curled up position, he looked very fragile and very small, "That's what they used to say too."

Kanda opened his mouth and closed it again, as if some unseen force had sewn his lips shut for even thinking of insulting the damaged boy. "Listen, I don't really understand what you're going on about, and I don't care-"

Allen gazed at him sadly, his grey eyes glimmering like never before in the darkness, cutting Kanda short. "I know you don't." He said in a whisper, "Go back to sleep, you have an early day tomorrow."

Kanda studied him for a moment, marvelling over the sudden change. Perhaps the night affected Allen in ways he'd never understand. Allen had gone back to staring out the window–careful not to let in the moonlight-and Kanda hadn't noticed when he got up and left. All the same, he lowered himself back down and closed his eyes, waiting for sleep to pull him under once more.

**- x -**

"Kanda."

Someone was calling his name, and somewhere in the hazy distance, a strange beeping began.

"Kandaa."

The beeping grew louder and more persistent, and along with that the absolute blackof the back of his eyelids burned white, the feeling of being exposed to a great deal of light all at once.

"_Kanda!_"

The man whose name had been yelled out so frantically, peeled open his eyes, ones that felt glued together, woken up by an insistent shaking of his shoulder blade. His immediate vision flooded with the image of another body, clad in grey and white, waving a small black object directly in front of his nose. The beeping grew in volume, enraged.

"Kanda, your clock's gone mad and it's killing my ears. _Please, _turn it off!" Allen whined, shaking the groggy man some more.

It all came back to Kanda like a man granted the gift of sight for the first time. The brightness invading his eyelids, the morning sun blazing high in the blue sky. The unrelenting beeping, his faithful alarm clock. The voice calling out to him and the firm arm nearly dislocating his shoulder in its grip, the annoying Allen Walker.

Kanda sat up fully, knocked Allen's hand off him, and grabbed the small object. "It's called the _off _switch, genius." And flipped it over and pushed a small red button upwards.

Allen grinned widely at him, "And if you don't get out of bed, you'll be late for work. Oh, clever one."

Kanda's eyes flew open and he stared at the clock whose red numbers, _7:20_, warned him that he was indeed quite late. Abruptly awake, Kanda tossed the object aside and shot out of bed and into his bathroom.

Allen caught the forgotten object before it could collide with his forehead and called out happily after the retreating figure, "Good morning to you too, Kanda." All he got in response was a rude grunt and a door nearly slamming straight off its hinges.

Inside his white tiled bathroom, Kanda seethed and glared daggers at his reflection. His brush worked furiously over gritted teeth. He had never-_never-_been beaten by his alarm clock. That tiny device was nothing but back up, as his nature demanded. He never thought, in all his years of purchasing it, that there'd come a day where it actually came in handy. He didn't need a wake up call, he never woke up late. This morning was different, even the sun seemed to be mocking him, shining mightily in all its yellow glory.

Of course, Kanda was faultless. He blamed it all on Allen Walker, that rotten pest.

Kanda forgot all about making breakfast, instead opting to hurriedly fasten his black button down shirt, slip on his boots and march out his door.

Allen shuffled after him, a long wool coat in hand, "Wait, Kanda!"

Kanda didn't wait, jamming the elevator button and tapping his foot on the carpeted floor. _Couldn't these contraptions come any faster?_

Allen rolled his eyes and shoved the coat in front of him, "You'll freeze to death out there."

Kanda grunted and snatched his coat from the outstretched hand, not liking the idea of Allen's grabby little dead paws all over his belongings. The elevator light lit up and the grand doors slid open, Kanda rushed inside with Allen hot on his heels. There, the minutes seemed to tick by forever, and the moving machine just wouldn't reach the ground floor fast enough.

Allen quirked a silvery eyebrow. Kanda started tapping his foot again. "Relax, would you? It's not like you'll be late."

Kanda emitted a sort of low growl deep in his throat, "What the hell would you know?"

Allen smiled and pulled out a golden pocket watch tucked deep into his vest. "It's only 7:30. If I'm not mistaken, you don't start until eight, right?" The man had rushed in and out of his bathroom at speeds even Allen had been mildly impressed by.

Kanda snapped his head over to the shorter male. He did not remember telling Allen the details of his work schedule. It unsettled him and the fine black hairs at the nape of his neck stood on end. "What other information do you have on me?"

Allen's smile only widened, "I call it the _Yu Kanda File_."

The elevator doors _pinged _open and Kanda, for the life of him, couldn't tell if Allen was kidding or not.

Allen nudged the frozen body with his shoulder, "Don't let the doors close on you Kanda. Or you'll really be late."

Kanda gave him one last stare before his slender legs carried him swiftly out the building. Where he was made very much aware of the ever present form of Allen, matching his pace evenly.

"You don't have to follow me everywhere." Kanda finally said, annoyed with his permanent shadow.

"Yes, I do." Allen answered simply, "The sooner you come to terms with that, the easier it will be for you."

Kanda wanted to punch the smugness right off his pale face. The busy streets the single thing stopping him from doing so. How would it look to passer-bys if he were to all of a sudden, reach out and knock Allen senseless? Kanda was never one to take another's opinion to heart but he didn't think he'd get away with child abuse.

Soon, as the mismatched duo rounded the street corner, a row of cozy little shops came into view. The brick roofs with their smoking chimneys, cobblestone pathways and square windows releasing blocks of yellow lamp light all added to Allen's unexpected feeling of nostalgia.

"Some things never change." He mumbled a tad blissfully, more to himself than anything else.

"What?" Kanda asked gruffly, breaking the peaceful atmosphere that had settled upon Allen.

Allen sighed, "It's nothing. This place looks just as it did many years ago."

Kanda snorted, passing off the strange comment and pulling open the door handle of the shop they had landed in front of. Allen took one look at the tealeaf hand painted on the door and realized they had come upon a teashop.

Kanda paused before entering, one foot inside the warm shop, "This place doesn't open for customers for another half hour." Kanda smirked at the boy now, "Guess that means you can't follow me everywhere."

Allen stepped forward, close enough to whisper into Kanda's red with the cold ear, "Don't you worry about that. They won't see me."

Kanda wasted no time wrapping his mind around that one, "If your hocus pocus shit gets me fired Moyashi, I'll send you back to the grave you crawled out from."

Allen grinned charismatically, "And I have utmost faith you'll be able to do so. You worry too much Kanda, I promise I'll behave, _you _won't even know I'm there."

Kanda knew that the minute that so called promise left his deceitful lips that the boy was full of crap. Kanda would be the _only _one alerted of his constant presence and it would most definitely drive him into early insanity. "Whatever." He scowled prettily at Allen and stepped inside, where the warmth heated his frozen face.

Inside, the small building reminded Allen further of his waking days. Sleek round tables with cushioned benches extending from the wall, wooden chairs or plush one seater couches around low coffee tables decorated the hardwood floors. Timeless oil paintings of farmland landscapes tastefully littered the dusty rose tinted walls. Overhead, simple ceiling chandeliers hung high above the tables and lampshades sat in the corners of the windowsills. Towards his left, where Kanda had wandered over to, a long bar styled counter lay with a cash register and a wall full of tealeaf boxes and cups for sale behind it.

Allen considered Kanda for a moment, tall and menacing in a room so full of radiant light, and he wanted to giggle at the sharp contrast the two offered. He figured money was money, and Kanda would put aside personal preferences to get by.

Nevertheless, Allen had to meddle. Flouncing over to the mass of black hair that bobbed tucked away behind the counter, Allen peered over the flat surface and down at Kanda. "You work _here_?" He questioned, genuinely interested.

"As if you didn't already know." The top of Kanda's head scoffed, before the rest of his body followed, holding a cup of hot tea in one hand.

Allen eyed the tea curiously, "Oh, I knew. But that wasn't what I meant. _Why _do you work here?"

Kanda held out the cup below Allen's flaring nostrils, the smell of tea deliciously overpowering. "You see this, brat? I get this free, whenever I want."

"Figures." Allen sniffed, more of that fresh smell invading his senses. He almost reached out for the cup held so graciously under his nose if it weren't for Kanda yanking it back.

Kanda appeared to be mildly insulted, hating how this relative stranger regarded him so lowly. "If this place goes into a tea recession today, you're to blame."

Allen gaped, appalled, "How is this _my _fault?"

"No time for breakfast means taking it wherever I can."

"And whose fault is that?"

"_Yours_." Kanda seethed, clutching his cup with more force than necessary, "If you hadn't woken me up in the middle of the night I wouldn't have overslept."

Allen waved him aside, "You woke up of your accord. I did nothing."

"I could feel your eyes burning holes into my back. Who asked you to watch me _sleep_?" Kanda demanded. Waking up to someone staring fixedly at him was not at all pleasant.

"It's not like I touched you or something, you could have gone on sleeping!" Allen huffed, highly offended. Watching Kanda sleep had a calming effect on him, and he wasn't going to stop.

"This." Kanda snarled, raising his cup although a bit childishly, "Is your fault."

"Go ahead Kanda." Allen smirked wickedly, eyes darting to a point behind Kanda's head, "Blame your _invisible _friend."

Kanda gnashed his teeth together, "You're _not _my friend."

"Who's not your friend?" A female voice asked, stepping into the conversation.

Kanda's eyes bugged the slightest and Allen laughed silently. Lenalee Lee stood with her hands on her hips and a quizzical expression adorning her feminine face. In one hand she held out a plain black apron, which Kanda took without making eye contact.

"Good morning, Kanda." She blinked sweeping her gaze around the empty room, "Was anyone in the shop just now?"

Kanda concentrated on tying his apron, "No." He answered plainly.

Lenalee scrunched up her face in thought. In all her years of knowing the surly young man, he had his odd habits and she wasn't one to point them out. However, talking to himself appeared to be a new one. "Oh, Alright. I'm just about to open up." Knowing Kanda also came with knowing when not to pry too deeply.

"I must say." Allen started when Lenalee was bent by the door, twisting around the _'Open' _sign, "You look rather nice in an apron."

Kanda hissed, low enough to pass undetected, "What happened to shutting up?"

Allen mimed the action of zipping his mouth shut and sat motionless as a statue on the high chair. Kanda recognized for the first time that Allen wasn't breathing. _Had he always been this way? _He knew only the living had need for air but it was still…_weird. _

From then on, Kanda tried his best to ignore the constant stares Allen kept shooting him and tried not to look at the chair upon which he was seated. An hour into opening the cozy tea shop, the customers started to pile in and Kanda grudgingly took their orders while Lenalee and another nervous looking woman prepared their tea cups. All throughout this Allen kept to himself, hopping off his high chair whenever it looked like a customer was going to sit right on top of him. That's how the day went, until the clock struck _3:00pm _and all the school students started pouring in.

The chattering young men and women occupied most of the tables and couches and soon the place filled with a pleasant hum of noise. Lenalee and the shaky woman Allen learned went by the name _Miranda_, rushed to take their orders. Kanda preferred it this way, all he had to do was ring them through the cash and print out the bill, not needing to speak directly to anyone.

Lenalee skittered around the main counter and dropped a pad full of orders for Kanda, who quickly punched it in and handed her the bill, then she sped off in a flurry of skirt and heels.

Allen drummed his fingers on the counter, smiling up at Kanda who was still trying his best to avoid him. "I'll have a large tea please, withmilk not cream."

Kanda disregarded him, as if he had never spoken.

"Kanda, didn't you hear me?" Allen tried again, pouting the faintest bit, "It's rude to ignore a paying customer.

Kanda heard and deliberately turned his head to watch Miranda fumble around a platter full of hot tea, before Lenalee ran by and took it from her shaking hands. He highly doubted Allen was a _paying _customer; he had the image of a crook floating around his tiny head.

Allen puffed out his cheeks, "I said, I'll have one large tea please, with milk."

Kanda finally cracked under the non-stop jabber, sparing a harsh glare for the boy. "You'll have _nothing._"

"Kanda!" Suddenly there was Lenalee, frowning at him with another paper pad in her hands, "I'm terribly sorry about him." She apologized, turning towards Allen with expressive violet eyes.

Allen beamed up her, "It's fine, I'm used to Kanda's bad attitude by now."

Kanda held off a choke. _The nerve of that brat! _It served him right to take the word of a stranger who regularly broke into his apartment.

Lenalee couldn't help but smile back, "So you've known Kanda for a while then?" Here Allen nodded and she flipped on Kanda, playfully whacking his arm with the pad, "You didn't tell me you had a friend, Kanda!"

Kanda's eye developed a nervous twitch, "He's not my friend."

Lenalee hit him again and sighed, "Don't worry, he says that about Lavi too, and they've been friends for _ages_." She extended her manicured hand over the counter, "I'm Lenalee Lee by the way."

Allen leaned forward in his chair and grasped her outstretched hand, "Allen Walker. It's a pleasure meeting you."

"Likewise." She grinned broadly, "Kanda, can you do his order? I'm swamped over here."

Kanda wanted to die. He nodded anyways and Lenalee bustled away to the far end where the pastries were, piling them on a plate. Kanda, tight lipped, filled a white porcelain cup with sweet smelling tea, sliding it across the small width of the surface to Allen's waiting hands.

The boy thanked him and grabbed the cup-his pale, pale fingers nearly blending right in-some of the warm liquid sloshing over the rim and onto his hands. This he savoured by licking his arm and Kanda shuddered and looked away.

"Pay up, Moyashi." Kanda said, unfolding his right hand and laying it face up in front of Allen.

Allen dug into his pocket and produced a bill and spare coins, "You need to trust me more." He said, and pressed the money into Kanda's palm, his cool fingertips lingering on the hand that gave off so much heat.

Kanda felt a cold tingle crawl up his arm and quickly snatched it away. "Where does all this money come from?" He remembered Allen ordering hoards of food at that restaurant they first met at. He must have paid there too.

Allen shrugged and slurped up his tea, "Does it really matter? I paid, and stop that!" Allen chided when Kanda closely inspected his bill, "It's not counterfeit, I swear."

Kanda had no faith in him but the money appeared real enough. "It matters." Kanda glowered at him, "You're not stealing it, are you?" He seemed to think about it for a moment, "You'd better not be stealing from _me, _brat."

Allen rolled his eyes. "You need to unwind a little, Kanda. _I _haven't stolen anything."

Kanda narrowed his eyes sceptically; there was an underlying _something _he didn't quite trust. However, before he could voice his concern another customer demanded his immediate attention.

The rest of his shift progressed smoothly as usual. Allen continued to pay for cups of tea and creamy pastries with money that came from _who knows what wallet _and Lenalee and Miranda shuffled around, busy as ever. This went on until closing time, where no customers remained, even Allen took a hint and disappeared from everyone but Kanda's unfortunate view. The lights remained on as the few workers cleaned up and closed down the shop.

Lenalee was outside and locking the front door when Miranda pulled up her car by the sidewalk.

"See you tomorrow, Kanda" Lenalee waved and got into the passenger seat of the car. Miranda smiled shyly and also waved goodnight before speeding off into the night.

"Not much of a talker is she, that Miranda?" Allen asked, getting up from the step he had seated himself on.

Kanda just continued to walk the same path back home, hands in his pockets, freezing from the cold night air. Allen kept pace with him easily and Kanda sharply let out a breath that fogged in the dark night, "You never actually told me what you were."

"I did." Allen assured, "A messenger, remember?"

"From _where_, moron?" Kanda sniffed, "You don't look much like an _Angel of the Lord._"

Allen frowned, hesitant. "It's probably because I'm _not._"

"Then what the hell are you, the devil?" Kanda snorted, shoving his frozen fingers further into his warm pockets.

Allen bit his lip, not really knowing why he felt so uncomfortable saying it, "No…not that either. Not exactly, but you're…in the right area."

Kanda slowed his frantic pace to eye Allen carefully, the boy refused to look at him. "Then tell me this." He started, "When you died, where did you go? Since apparently, there's a place for people like you."

Allen fidgeted as the wind howled around him, nothing but a thin grey vest and long sleeved shirt covering his upper body. "Let's just say, I'd be looking _up _at you."

Kanda blinked as recognition dawned on him and he fought off a snicker, "Figures. You're a damn _pest_, Moyashi."

And for reasons unknown, Allen felt his spirits rise at those crudely uttered words, and he grinned happily up at Kanda who grunted and walked faster in answer.

**-x-**

**So it appears Allen is indeed from Hell (if it wasn't clear) I can't seem to make him say it outright, it doesn't flow properly. :) thank you for continuing to read this and feedback is always welcome :D **


	4. Slowly But Surely

**This is out a little later than it should have been, but the holidays are making me a wee bit lazy **

Disclaimer: If, ifs and buts made candy and…so on, but I don't own D. Gray Man :(

**-x-**

**Slowly But Surely**

**-x-**

Kanda allowed himself the long moments of quiet contemplation it took to get from the freezing streets of London and into his warm apartment. He might have not-so-playfully insulted Allen concerning his final resting place but since then his head was buzzing distractedly. He figured this child that followed him around like an insistent puppy _must _be working for some higher, holier power. Not the demons from down below. Now, Kanda was not so comfortable-_not that he ever was_-with letting who might as well be the devil's advocate into his home. Now, more than ever, he feared those dreary grey eyes that pierced straight through his soul when he woke in the middle of the night.

The door latched with a silent _click _and the owner of the flat eyed Allen apprehensively. He reminded himself that he never got the frights, that he was just being stupid, and if Allen wanted to kill him in his sleep, no amount of demon fending omens would be able to stop him.

Allen, on the other hand, cued into the other man's strange behaviour and avoided eye contact and standing to close. In fact he tried his very best to blend into Kanda's white walls, not wanting to disappear altogether and risk frightening the man more.

"What-" Kanda began but cut himself off. He didn't know what he was going to say.

Allen remained as still as possible, treating Kanda very much like a wounded and wild deer. He had _seemed _fine back there, walking along the darkened streets, taking the news in stride. What had happened?

"What," Kanda began again, this time sure of himself, "is your purpose here?"

Allen looked up and met his level and not at all frightened gaze. "Everyone deserves a warning, don't they?"

"But _why._"

Allen shrugged, "It's getting a little crowded down there."

Kanda felt the hysterical need to laugh, remembered he didn't, and shoved it back down his tight throat. "_That's _the best explanation you've got?"

Allen didn't say anything for a long while, "It's the only one you'll get for now."

Kanda kept a burning sapphire eye on him as he edged away and into his room, aware that Allen had followed him inside. Suspicion clouded every part of his mind. Allen would tell him what his business here was or _get the hell out. _

Kanda rounded on him, his long ponytail whipping behind him. "You owe me a little more than that."

Allen was again at his window, peering outside at the heavy traffic. "Isn't there something you'd like to say first?" He asked, tilting his head, "Something you'd rather have off your chest?"

Kanda furrowed an annoyed brow. _Not this again. _"I won't say it again Moyashi. There's _nothing _to say." He growled low in his throat, "That being said, your presence here is pointless."

"And _I _won't say it again Kanda, I'm here for the long run." Allen smiled wistfully, "The sooner you speak, the sooner I leave."

Tempting as it was, Kanda settled for glaring and slipping into bed. The thought of being slain in his slumber plagued him and he wondered if it were possible to sleep with one eye open. Paranoia barely ever griped him as hard as the hand that held his fear did now. He hated it and willed it away with all his might.

"Kanda," The soft voice of Allen spoke up, "If there's something bothering you…" He trailed off invitingly when he noticed Kanda staring at his broken vanity with rapt attention. It worried Allen, the subtle edge lining the stiffness in Kanda's jaw that hadn't been there before tonight.

Kanda snorted, "Other than you?"

Allen ignored him, "If it's about what I said earlier, I hope you realise by now I'm not _evil._" The decades of existing beyond his mortal shell sharpened his perceptiveness to almost inhuman levels. He was always good with reading people, and most of the time; Kanda's stern face could be read very much like an open book.

Kanda's eyes narrowed, "Oh _really?_" He sneered, "There isn't exactly a _halo _atop your freakish head."

Allen puffed out his cheeks in irritation, "Well I don't have horns and a tail _either_, you insufferable _prick._" Kanda opened his mouth in retaliation but Allen apparently hadn't finished, "My final resting place doesn't define my entire character Kanda. You'd do well not to forget that."

"It defines you completely, you moron." Kanda barked suddenly, "Some souls are just too corrupt for salvation. I can tell by the way you consistently break into my home instead of _knocking_."

"Would you have let me in if I had?"

"No."

"I rest my case." Allen said, resuming his watch out the window.

Kanda continued to fume silently, glad he felt more awake now seeing as he didn't trust him self to fall asleep and wake up alive.

"Oh, and Kanda?" Allen piped up with a strange sort of smile, bringing the other man's reluctant attention to him, "I promise I won't smother you with your pillow as you sleep."

Kanda snorted rather loudly in place of a laugh, but that eased his tension somewhat, "I won't croak that easily anyways, brat."

Allen went on smiling serenely, "Goodnight, Kanda."

An answering grunt later and Kanda rolled on his side-the one facing Allen-and tried his very best to sleep.

**-x- **

Two, long, agonizing weeks had gone by before Kanda could even keep track of his calendar pages. Fourteen days of learning to adapt to the now not-so-shocking news of Allen's identity. It still unsettled him, whenever he was unlucky enough to catch those flat grey eyes boring holes into his skull. However, being a naturally indifferent person to the trials around him, Kanda hadn't bothered prying into Allen's living days. Which meant he hadn't the slightest clue what could have been terrible enough to send a young boy like Allen, down under. The strange boy could have been a mass murderer back for unfinished business and Kanda ignorantly allowed him shelter under his roof.

The days quickly rolled around to a lazy Saturday morning and Kanda busied himself with furiously brushing the enamel right off his sparkling teeth.

Allen, who was sitting atop his toilet tank, shook his head disapprovingly. "You look a little tense today, Kanda."

Kanda spat out a mouthful of mint toothpaste. "Quit staring at me all the goddamn time."

Allen leaned his back against the wall and said, "In my day, I took much better care of my teeth."

There was a loud snort and the sound of a toothbrush moving too quickly. "Then your rotten, dead stumps of teeth must _really _bother you now." He said between spitting.

"You should know that's not true." Allen frowned, "I've retained my exact appearance from the time I-"

"_Died?_" Kanda cut in coldly. He smirked when saw Allen shiver out of his peripheral vision, "I kind of _see_ that, Moyashi." Then something he said replayed itself slowly in Kanda's mind and the older boy glanced sideways at him. "And that hair too?"

"What?" Allen asked, self-consciously patting his wild locks in place.

"Has it always been white?"

"For as long as I can remember, yes." Allen answered truthfully, not at all liking the cruel smile working it's way into Kanda's cheekbones, "There's nothing wrong with it! What does it matter anyways?"

Kanda continued to brush, then after a while of Allen's sad grey eyes begging him to speak he did. "Tch. What _isn't _wrong with it, would be more accurate. Didn't it ever occur to your last century brain, to I don't know, _dye _it?"

Allen bunched his knees together, "I did try. And many times I thought it worked, but then I'd wake up the next morning and there it was, as white as ever."

Kanda really did snigger this time, but caught himself quickly, "Oh you poor, unfortunate geezer."

Allen glared heatedly at him, "Honestly Kanda," he snarled viciously, "After decades of hearing the same, ridiculous insult, you'd think it'd stop bothering me. Wouldn't you?"

Kanda occupied himself with washing the residual toothpaste off his face as an excuse not to catch Allen's accusatory glare. Obviously, the dead runt was still unbearably touchy about his past grievances. It wouldn't do Kanda any good to antagonize a spirit of chaos, or whatever it was Allen was.

Kanda walked out of the bathroom and into his kitchen, where he made his traditional breakfast of toast and tea in peace. He didn't stop to think twice about the relative silence that hung around him until his toast popped loudly and he had to sidestep quickly before his meal popped right onto the floor. He frowned, and couldn't remember his toaster ever behaving out of line in previous situations.

It was then Allen made his presence known, leaning stiffly on the kitchen's archway, his gaze fixed on the now steaming toaster.

Kanda first glared at Allen, his smoking toaster, the charred and unrecognizable crisp bread in his hands, before he made the awful connection. His eye narrowed dangerously as his hand clamped down on the crumbly bit of toast. "You unbelievable, bratty little _ass_-"

Allen sniffed his interruption, "I prefer _arse_, but do go on."

Kanda had had enough. Firming his grip on the toast, he hurled it straight at Allen's face. "_What the fuck did you just do?_" Kanda all but screeched. He almost wanted to hurt himself when the bit of flying black toast _completely _missed its mark, landing harmlessly on the counter in between them. Maybe he should have tried his toaster instead.

Allen glared at the bit of toast, "You don't learn, do you? I suppose that can't be helped, seeing as you've refused every ounce of guidance anyone's ever tried to throw at you." Kanda was reaching blindly for his toaster at this point so Allen sped up, "If you're that worried, there's nothing wrong with your toasting appliance. A bunch of fancy smoke and you utterly fly off the handle."

Kanda calmed down minutely at the knowledge of not needing to spend hard earned money on a new toaster, "That excuses nothing. I still want to know what the hell that was back there."

Allen, who had also managed to reign in his subtle temper, smiled apologetically, "My temper sometimes gets the better of me."

A flash of memory from when Allen had ripped out a chuck of his marble counter shifted into focus. "So what," Kanda began, "You blow things up in your temper tantrum?" Kanda had the odd urge to ask whether Allen would blow _him _up in his rage, but he figured he could go without knowing.

Allen frowned thoughtfully, "It's seems to be something I acquired after being reborn like this." He gestured vaguely to his faded formal outfit, "But I've realized, through some mild experimentation, that it's only certain things that get me worked up enough to start becoming…destructive."

Kanda grunted and eyed his cup of warm tea. If thatwere to crack and spill all over the counter top, he'd show Allen just how destructive _he _could be. "I didn't think bread offended you that much, Moyashi."

Allen shook his head, the mop of white hair moving with it. "What you said earlier, in the bathroom," He said, "it's a sensitive subject. I tried with incredible effort, Kanda, for _decades_ actually, to control this horrid power of mine. And yet you just waltz in and bring down all my hard work with a few choice words."

Kanda wanted so badly to enjoy his rapidly cooling tea, but Allen seemed unstable and sudden movements might not be a clever idea at the moment. "Good to know I'm good at something." He said sneering instead.

Allen chose to ignore him, "I don't understand you, Kanda Yu." At this Kanda growled automatically, "But given time, and your stubbornness has won us plenty, I'm sure that'll change."

Kanda hated the very idea, both Allen wanting to understand him and having ample time to do it. He reached for his tea instead, which had cooled to a drinkable hot and took a comforting sip from it. Allen had moved to sit by the counter, examining his own impression where he had dug his gloved hand in. Deeply troubled lines creased his forehead as he traced the hollow with his fingers, and Kanda decided it was best not to yell at him for prodding the property he already destroyed.

Long after the last of his tea disappeared down his throat, Kanda continued to sip at it while pretending not to watch Allen. That was until he started gagging on the tealeaves and had to wash his cup when the boy looked quizzically up at him.

Kanda kept his back to his uninvited guest as he scrubbed absent-mindedly at his mug, his guest who was being unexpectedly quiet. His mouth curved downwards and his neat brows knitted together, he would _not _worry over the bizarre behaviour of that particular little demon.

Even as he walked towards where Allen sat, fretting unvoiced but obvious, the snowy head stayed bowed and he made no move to follow Kanda out as per usual. Kanda paused at the archway and hesitated, then without thinking it spilled from his lips, "I'm willing to bet that white hair of yours wouldn't look half bad if you knew how to _wear _it."

Allen couldn't help the grin that stretched his face and lit up his dull eyes, "Like the way you wear your _manly _ponytail?" In some alternate universe, Allen was sure that could be taken as a direct apology from the man.

Kanda made a half offended half amused sort of noise so deep in his throat Allen couldn't tell what it was, and stalked off. This time Allen felt compelled to leap off his chair and go bounding after the man, straight into his sleeping quarters. This time, Kanda didn't mind quite as much the soft footsteps he'd grown so used to hearing.

Kanda reached for his closet doors and pulled out a sheathed long sword and a tin of steel polish. Sitting down on his bed he slid out his deadly weapon, the blade gleaming in all its glory until it lay across his knees. Carefully he picked apart the polish and began to scrub gently at it.

Allen's interest was perked. In the time he'd come to know the older one he'd heard of references to this sword or seen it thrust feverishly at his person, but never fawned over with such practised care.

"If I didn't know better," Allen started with one eyebrow buried high under his bangs, causing Kanda to pause his scrubbing circles, "I'd say that weapon's the only thing to ever see the soft side of such a cold, cold man."

Kanda resumed his polishing, this time scowling, "You don't know better, brat. And this _weapon _is Mugen. It cuts through anything. Even your undead ass."

"_Arse._" Allen corrected playfully, "But never mind that. I think it's very sweet of you to name your weapon."

If possible, Kanda's scowling face became even darker. "It came with the name. Call it a kind of inheritance."

Allen looked shocked, "What kind of parents would give their homicidal son a _sword?_"

"They didn't." Kanda stated simply, "That said, I couldn't just let it rust after their passing." There was a haunted sort of aura in Kanda's jewel bright eyes as he caressed the tip of the blade almost fondly.

It troubled Allen but then again, many things about Kanda troubled him, "Lots of memories, huh?" He said lightly.

Kanda's eyes turned bitter and he went back to scrubbing, not bothering to answer that one question, as casual as it was.

At once Allen knew he was hiding something in the silence. "Kanda," he said slowly, "What is it? I know it must be quite severe because I wouldn't be here otherwise. You really ought to tell me."

"Whatever it is, is none of your business." Kanda growled out, putting away the polish and raising his sword threateningly.

"But it _is._" Allen pleaded stubbornly, "I'm only trying to help you Kanda."

"Why the hell do you care?" Kanda paused, then thought of something else, "If you've got a whole file on me, shouldn't _this _be in it too?"

Allen grimaced. "No. All information concerning you is very vague," he said, "And I care because you have no idea how bad it is down there. If you can avoid it…you'd be a fool not to."

Irritation ignited in Kanda's head, "What I'd like to know, _Moyashi_, is what a righteous little bigot like you, did to get yourself into Hell."

Allen swallowed hard, "Don't turn it around Kanda, this is about _you_."

"Don't avoid the subject." Kanda glared with all the evil he could muster up, "You can't expect me to share, without doing some talking yourself."

Allen knew that if he were able to perspire, he probably would have been ruining his nice shirt with it by now. "There's something you need to see first." His hands flew to his vest buttons and Kanda's eyes widened a fraction, "Every action has a consequence. You need to see this before you decide being tight-lipped is the path to salvation." He worked his buttons undone and dropped his vest behind him, his thin, gloved fingers now moving to his shirt buttons.

Kanda sputtered before finding his voice, horrified to the point of speechlessness, "_Please,_ spare my eyes, kid! There are some things I'd really rather not see."

"Quite being a prig. This is strictly professional." Allen mumbled while removing the last of his buttons so that his shirt hung closed, but ready to fall open on command, "I also need you _not _to freak out, or faint, or judge. Until I'm done explaining."

Kanda looked a bit queasy, but his eyes were glued to Allen's hands barely holding his shirt together, "I'm going to puke all over you if you don't stop this shit."

Allen rolled his eyes and began to inch off the left side of his shirt, a bit of leathery burgundy coming into view where powder white skin should have been.

Kanda's grip on Mugen loosened until it hit the carpet with a dull _thud_. He was very glad he decided not to stand up. Least he did something unforgivable and fall backwards with shock.

**-x-**

**Well there it is :) finally, somehow it seemed as if it'd never get done. **

**A big **_**huge**_** Thank You and much love to everyone who reads and reviews this small thing of mine. Seeing as the possibility of me updating within a week is pretty much impossible I wish you all a Very MERRY CHRISTMAS :D and a happy New Year! But the politically correct thing to say would be: Happy holidays everyone :) **


	5. Come Again?

**It's late, but it's here 8D **

**Disclaimer: There was no D. Gray Man under my tree this year. D:**

**-x-**

**Come Again?**

**-x-**

Allen waited in silence, his white shirt forgotten on the floor and his bare, pasty chest gleaming in the morning light.

Kanda, who wasn't aware of his mouth hanging ajar with deadened shock, now snapped it closed. Before opening it again, "_What the_ _fuck is that supposed to be?_" He managed, rudely gesturing to Allen's strange left arm with his pointy chin.

"This," Allen said calmly, because Kanda was gripping Mugen and eyeing Allen's maroon arm like it would jump out and slap him, "is what I wanted to show you."

Kanda found his sneer and sneered, taking in the length of the arm, all the way down to the thick, black fingernails. "I can see that."

Allen brought his left arm up to his eye level, -Kanda flinched inadvertently-peering at his dead fingernails sadly, "Justified punishment." He explained, as if Kanda understood any of it.

Kanda, realizing he was being a pansy and that Allen's leathery arm wasn't going to strangle him, loosened his grip on Mugen slightly. "You must have been a bigger idiot than I give you credit for. What the hell did you stick your arm in to get a burn like _that_?" He said, adding all the venom into his voice for allowing fear to take over his body.

Allen frowned and stared at the cross mark engraved into the back of his hand. "It's not a burn, Kanda." He explained gently, "It's a curse."

Kanda crumpled up his nose in distaste. So now he was sharing his living quarters with a creepy, dead, demonic, _cursed _stalker. He just had all the luck in the world.

The white haired boy chose to ignore the way the man's nose shot straight up in the air and went on with his story. "Rightfully deserved, of course. It's not like I'm complaining…but, it's not something _you _want, is it?"

The very thought of his sword toned arms morphing into wrinkly, red Allen replicas, made his stomach curl unpleasantly. Still, he kept his thin lips sealed shut and listened. However, it seemed Allen was done talking and was now waiting on his answer. Kanda hadn't even registered the question had been directed at him. He shook his head when Allen's burning grey eyes became a bit too much and said, "Rightfully deserved?"

Here Allen bit his bottom lip, harshly gnawing on it. "Every crime has its punishment. This was mine."

Kanda rolled his eyes; the child had an infuriating habit of skirting around anything concerning his past life and all its disasterly mistakes. If he was here to 'help', he was doing a pretty crappy job of it. "Care to elaborate, Moyashi?"

Fine, white eyebrows knitted together at the foreign nickname that he was quite sure was insulting. "Not really." Allen said stubbornly, "I'm not here to tell my story, remember?"

"You're not supposed to be here, _period._" Kanda glared, "But since you are," he spat out, "make yourself useful and tell me all about your little sob story."

Those thin brows crashed into one another and if Allen bit his lip any harder, there'd surely be a bloodless gash in it. "There's a reason I don't want to you know…"

Kanda stared blankly at him. With Allen, the _reasons _were ceaseless and he couldn't care less about them. "Yet you obviously want to get it off your boney chest. Go on, it's not like you don't have all the time in the world."

Allen peered down at his boney chest. Now that it was brought to attention, he felt awfully exposed. Rolling back his shirtsleeve surely would have been a better option than waywardly flinging off his clothes. Allen scooted over the windowsill, putting a good distance between Kanda and himself, and sat down with his knees covering his skinny torso. Maybe talking about his own criminal activity, no matter how painful, would help Kanda open up. On the other hand, it would reveal just how flawed and _evil _he was, and that was exactly what he'd been trying so desperately to cover up. But Kanda had his dangerous midnight eyes watching him like prey, and revealing seemed to be the correct answer.

Allen swished his tongue inside the craven of his mouth and flicked it off his teeth, playing with the jumble of words that simultaneously wanted to tumble out and stay safely locked up. "I…" he began in an odd croak, "…sinned, horribly, _killed _my-" and he paused dramatically, but not on purpose. His vocal cords appeared to be choking him.

Kanda couldn't help it. He tried and failed to hold in the obscene bark of laughter that just _erupted _from his tightly sealed mouth. Allen turned immensely sorrowful grey eyes towards him and Kanda hunched over with his teeth clattering together in his strain to keep his mouth shut.

Allen didn't understand the comedy of the situation. He sat silently, waiting for Kanda to regain control. Half glad he was cut short and half brimming with grief.

Kanda straightened up, no longer feeling the need to laugh cruelly but a sadistic smirk plastered itself firmly on his jaw. "_You_?" he asked, waving Mugen towards Allen, "I find it hard to believe, _Moyashi_, that a pint sized creep like you would be up to committing _murder _of all things."

Allen's eyes stung with tears that would not come and his still heart clenched horribly. "You asked, Kanda." He said thickly, "I don't care whether or not you believe me. If only you had a reason to."

The intensity in Allen's voice, despite how it cracked, made Kanda think twice about his next harsh insult. Instead he settled for asking, "Who was it?"

Allen knew instantly that Kanda had meant to unravel the identity of his murder victim. Allen struggled internally, if Kanda laughed again he would hit him for sure, but that was no way to go about getting to the bottom of Kanda's many mysteries. Slowly, he let he jaw run slack and said in a bitter, longing sort of voice, "My father."

Kanda blinked as his sword slipped out of his steady hand and fell to the floor with a dull _thud_. Surely he had heard wrong. Surely, the little demon do-gooder hadn't just said what he _thought _he did. "What?" Kanda questioned, utterly bewildered but hiding it under his well practiced mask.

Mismatched hands clenched and unclenched and Allen's gaze roamed everywhere but onto the face in front of him. "I won't repeat myself." He said with finality. A tone that also suggested that Allen had officially closed off the subject and would no longer willingly talk about it.

Kanda didn't respond, didn't know how to when his head buzzed questions left, right and center, it was dizzying. The only plus point of dragging Allen's little story out of his unwilling mouth was that the child was in such a strange mood, he no longer felt the need to pressure Kanda into talking. Kanda partly wanted to know the dirty details of Allen's crime, but he couldn't bring himself to care enough, or console a deeply troubled corpse, so he simply got up and left his room silently. And this time Allen didn't follow him out.

**-x- **

Kanda had grabbed his coat and found himself wandering into a deserted park with broken swings and a rusted metal slide. Most days he hardly bothered with something as menial as taking walks. Today the very thought of remaining in his apartment, one that harboured a mopey, temperamental Allen, wasn't very appealing.

He settled down on a rickety wooden bench, crossing his long legs and chewing on his tongue. He probably should have brought along a stick of gum, to save his mouth from his vicious teeth. There was just too much to think about, and if he thought Allen frightened him before, it was nothing compared to how he felt now. Actually, Kanda couldn't fathom what _exactly _he felt. Naturally, he wanted naught to do with a homicidal maniac whose primary pastime included stalking and watching him sleep. But Allen didn't strike him as truly evil, no matter how much he may like to tease the boy about it.

A car passed by on the road ahead and Kanda leaned back in his seat, the brightness of the afternoon sky causing him to wince and bow his head again. Worst of all, Kanda rarely ever spent this much mental energy on anyone. People just weren't worth the trouble and time it took to ponder. Then again, Allen wasn't exactly '_people' _per se.

A sharp vibrating in the seat of his jeans jolted him upright. Cursing, Kanda fished out his shaking cell phone, glared at the caller ID displaying the glowing word _'Lavi'_ and shoved it into his coat pocket this time.

Soft sighing echoed close to his ear and Kanda would have jumped out of his seat if not for his trained upbringing. He really couldn't escape from anyone these days.

Allen, who had just popped into being on the bench beside him, smiled softly. He was a bit too close. Close enough that when he opened his mouth to speak, Kanda caught a whiff of that sickly sweet smell he couldn't place and had almost forgotten about.

"Why carry your phone with you if you'll only ignore it every time it rings?" Allen accused, still smiling serenely.

Kanda grunted and fingered the cold metal device in his pocket, "And here I thought I'd finally gotten rid of you."

Allen's grin broadened, he appeared to be over whatever fit he got himself into, although his eyes remained demure. "Oh Kanda, you'll never learn."

That was probably true, but one can hope. As long as Allen remained still and shut up, Kanda didn't have a problem with him invading his personal space bubble. In fact, the older man could even pretend he wasn't there; it was no different than what he usually did.

"Don't look now," Allen whispered, ruining Kanda's semi-peaceful illusion, "But someone's coming this way."

Sure enough, a few seconds later, Kanda's sharp ears picked up heavy boots crunching it's way towards them in the leaves strewn all over the park. And of course it would have to be the very person he constantly least looked forward to seeing. Because, Kanda really did have all the luck in the world.

"_Yuu!_" An out of breath male voice shouted behind him, quickly picking up its pace and huffing and puffing all over Kanda's coat clad shoulder when he finally reached his destination.

Kanda growled lowly in his throat, "Lavi," he said, "how the _hell _did you find me here?"

Lavi, the man in question, sucked in a shivery breath and beamed down at Kanda, "Well, I was driving by and on my way up to your place," here Kanda almost groaned, "And who else am I lucky enough to stumble upon but the very Yuu I was _just _on my way to greeting?"

Kanda really did groan this time, if only he had caught a glimpse of that car that passed by several minutes ago. His eyes drifted over to the quiet road and spotted a red-as-Lavi's-hair vehicle parked close to the curb. He would have had enough time to make a run for it.

"Haven't you ever heard of fair warning?" Kanda said, glaring at the happily smiling red head, trying to shimmy Kanda over so he could park his annoying butt down on the bench too.

Lavi stopped trying to shove Kanda over and frowned at him, "I have, and I _did _call you, Yuu. I can hardly be blamed when you refuse to pick up, and don't you dare deny it! I drove by just in time to witness the act."

Kanda wouldn't have denied it but he did hold off on reminding Lavi that it was hardly fair warning if he wasn't given the chance to tell the brute to turn around and go back home.

Allen chose that moment to stick his very visible head from around Kanda and peer up at Lavi.

The eye patched young man, having been so busy bothering Kanda, hadn't noticed the other occupant of the park until now. "Well, hello there!" He greeted jovially and quite loudly yelled into Kanda's ear, "Who's the kid, Yuu?"

Kanda elbowed Lavi roughly in the ribs to stop the fool from sticking to his side. "Nobody." He answered gruffly, not wanting to explain who and _what _the pasty-faced demon was.

Lavi pouted and plunked himself down in the space between his old friend and the newcomer. "What's your name, kid?" He asked, ignoring Kanda's grunt of fury at being pushed roughly aside.

Allen studied the face looming in front of his immediate vision, before smiling coyly. "Allen Walker." He said, extending his gloved hand, which was vigorously shaken.

Lavi dropped his hand and crossed his ankle over his knee, kicking Kanda in his knees by accident.

"I'm going to shove that foot up your ass, if you don't move it." Kanda snarled, moving his own knees as far as possible away, without slipping off the cold bench.

Lavi rolled his one brilliant green eye, "Yuu's a real piece of work isn't he?" he directed at Allen, who smiled sweetly at him, "So tell me, how'd you end up meeting a sourpuss like him?"

"A little bit of stellar stalking does the trick." Allen admitted, his face as straight as inhumanly possible.

Lavi's eyebrows rose but his smile grew to stretch deeply into his high cheek bones. "You're my kind of guy." He said warmly, laughing and ruffling Allen's white hair, "That's actually how I met Yuu, too."

Kanda scoffed, butting into the conversation, "I wouldn't call it stalking, loser. Your platypus feet can't tail shit."

Lavi sniffed in mock remorse, "It's a teensy bit sad, our friendship really is made up of loving, but snarky insults at my good nature." Kanda coughed out something incredibly rude and Allen giggled. "But really, Yuu," Lavi started up again, shifting in his seat so that he now faced Kanda, "How come you've never mentioned this kid before?"

Kanda determinedly avoided eye contact, glaring holes into the ridiculously red car parked a few feet away and hoping dearly that someone came by and attempted to jack it. At least that way, Lavi would run off in a rage and Kanda would be left alone. "Don't you have _anywhere _else to be?"

Lavi rubbed his stubble free chin, "The old man won't mind if I'm a few minutes late." He confessed, "Besides, he'd understand. I haven't seen my ol' pal for weeks."

A few weeks too soon if Kanda had anything to say about it, but as per usual, Lavi disregarded Kanda's lack of attempt at a conversation and gestured animatedly at Allen, who replied back just as enthusiastically. There was nothing holding Kanda back from getting up and leaving, but his bottom appeared to be glued to the wood of his seat and he had claimed this spot first. Lavi and the petite fiend could take their stupid chat elsewhere. Besides, he consoled, he had to make sure Allen didn't slip and say something stupid.

Kanda decided to listen in just in time to catch Lavi saying, "-that hair is _wild._ You've gotta tell me how you bleached it _that _white."

"Actually," Allen said, and Kanda unconsciously held his breath, Allen was very sensitive about his abnormal hair, "It's all natural."

Although Kanda's back was turned, he could practically see Lavi's green eye widen in surprised interest, "No _way._" He all but gasped, "What happened?"

"It's all right." Allen smiled reassuringly, "I've gotten used to it. And I kind of like it now."

"It's all cool, kid. Very unique." Lavi nodded in understanding before launching himself into the topic of his own, not so unique, fiery red hair.

Kanda let out that held breath and mentally kicked himself. What did he care if Allen burst out in tears or threw a hissy fit because Lavi _might _have teased him about his stupid, old man hair? Right, he reasoned, it wouldn't do for inquisitive little Lavi to figure out the boy he's so interested in, hasn't taken a single breath of air since he got here. _Of course. _Settling that, Kanda suddenly felt a lot better. He also realized, Lavi's top speed blabber was started to weigh down on him, and the chitchat wasn't even directed _his_ way.

Kanda stood up without a word and whirled around as if to leave. However, he should have known it wouldn't be that easy.

"Going already, Kanda?" The small voice of Allen piped up, breaking Lavi in mid-sentence.

Kanda shoved his hands in his coat pockets. "It's getting late." He explained simply.

Lavi snorted and craned his neck upward, "Come on, Yuu. It's hardly past your bedtime yet. Stay a while, won't you?"

Kanda glared mightily down at the sniggering green eyed face. "Unlike you, I have _work _early in the morning." He said, then added as an afterthought, "Besides, if I have to listen to you two talk anymore, I'll go deaf."

Lavi stuck his tongue out playfully at Kanda's retreating back and Allen hopped to his feet. "Pleasure meeting you, Lavi." Allen smiled and dipped his head politely before rushing off towards Kanda with a distant shout of, "Wait up, will you?"

Lavi, left alone on the rickety park bench, found his eyebrows disappearing further into his trademark bandana. He would be paying a definite visit to his dear friend of oldest, early tomorrow morning, over hot coffee and plenty of witnesses.

**-x-**

**It's a few pages shorter but if I had to make it any longer I don't know when I'd ever update.**

**Moving on, how were your holidays? :D I hope you all got everything you wanted! I know I didn't -.- Feedback is much appreciated! **


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